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| Michigan House of Representatives District 79 | ||
| Current incumbent | Pauline Wendzel  | |
| Population | 87,693 | |
| Gender | 51.5% Female, 48.5% Male | |
| Race | 72.4% White, 22.1% Black, 2.0% Two or More Races, 1.6% Other, 1.5% Asian, 0.4% Native American | |
| Ethnicity | 96.2% Non-Hispanic, 3.8% Hispanic | |
Michigan's seventy-ninth state house district is held by Republican Representative Pauline Wendzel.
As of the 2010 census, a total of 87,693 civilians reside within Michigan's seventy-ninth state house district. Michigan state representatives represent an average of 89,851 residents. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 90,349 residents.
Members of the Michigan House of Representatives serve two-year terms with term limits. Michigan legislators assume office the at noon on first day of January.
Section 7 of Article 4 of the Michigan Constitution states, "Each senator and representative must be a citizen of the United States, at least 21 years of age, and an elector of the district he represents. The removal of his domicile from the district shall be deemed a vacation of the office. No person who has been convicted of subversion or who has within the preceding 20 years been convicted of a felony involving a breach of public trust shall be eligible for either house of the legislature."
| State legislators | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $71,685/year | $10,800/year expense allowance for session and interim. Set by the compensation commission. |
The Michigan legislature is one of 15 state legislatures with term limits. Voters enacted the Michigan Term Limits Act in 1992. That initiative said that Michigan representatives are subject to term limits of no more than three two-year terms, or a total of six years.
The first year that the term limits enacted in 1992 impacted the ability of incumbents to run for office was in 2002.
Whenever a vacancy occurs in the house, it is up to the Governor to call for a special election. A special election must be held during the next scheduled general election. If the vacancy happened after the statewide primary, leaders of the respective party organizations within the Senate district can submit a list of nominees to be voted on by party leadership. A vote must be held no later than 21 days after the vacancy.
Elections for the office of Michigan House of Representatives will take place in 2020. The general election will be held on November 3, 2020. A primary is scheduled for August 4, 2020. The filing deadline is April 21, 2020.
Pauline Wendzel (R) defeated Joey Andrews (D) in the general election for Michigan House of Representatives District 79 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Pauline Wendzel (R) |
55.7
|
19,411 |
|
|
Joey Andrews (D) |
44.3
|
15,451 | |
|
|
Total votes: 34,862 (100.00% precincts reporting) |
Joey Andrews defeated Marletta Seats in the Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 79 on August 7, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Joey Andrews (D) |
57.0
|
3,485 |
|
|
Marletta Seats (D) |
43.0
|
2,628 | |
|
|
Total votes: 6,113 |
Pauline Wendzel defeated Maria Moen, Troy Rolling, Bruce Gorenflo, and JoAnn DeMeulenaere in the Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 79 on August 7, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Pauline Wendzel (R) |
46.2
|
5,041 |
|
|
Maria Moen (R) |
22.1
|
2,406 | |
|
|
Troy Rolling (R) |
16.8
|
1,828 | |
|
|
Bruce Gorenflo (R) |
11.3
|
1,236 | |
|
|
JoAnn DeMeulenaere (R) |
3.7
|
400 | |
|
|
Total votes: 10,911 |
Elections for the Michigan House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on August 2, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was April 19, 2016. Incumbent Al Pscholka (R) did not seek re-election because of term-limits.
Kim LaSata defeated Marletta Seats and Carl Oehling in the Michigan House of Representatives District 79 general election.Michigan House of Representatives, District 79 General Election, 2016
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Kim LaSata |
58.78% | 23,657 | |
| Democratic | Marletta Seats | 38.42% | 15,461 | |
| U.S. Taxpayers | Carl Oehling | 2.81% | 1,129 | |
| Total Votes | 40,247 | |||
| Source: Michigan Secretary of State | ||||
Michigan House of Representatives, District 79 Democratic Primary, 2016
| Party | Candidate | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Marletta Seats (unopposed) |
Michigan House of Representatives, District 79 Republican Primary, 2016
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kim LaSata |
54.17% | 3,622 | |
| Republican | Ryan Arnt | 30.06% | 2,010 | |
| Republican | Mary Brown | 5.17% | 346 | |
| Republican | Troy Rolling | 10.59% | 708 | |
| Total Votes | 6,686 | |||
Elections for the Michigan House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election was held on August 5, 2014, and a general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 22, 2014. Eric Lester was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Incumbent Al Pscholka defeated Cindy Duran in the Republican primary. Carl Oehling ran as a U.S. Taxpayers Party candidate. Pscholka defeated Lester and Oehling in the general election.
Michigan House of Representatives, District 79 General Election, 2014
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Al Pscholka Incumbent |
58.6% | 14,742 | |
| Democratic | Eric Lester | 39.4% | 9,911 | |
| Constitution | Carl Oehling | 2% | 497 | |
| Total Votes | 25,150 | |||
Michigan House of Representatives, District 79 Republican Primary, 2014
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Al Pscholka Incumbent |
65.6% | 5,755 |
| Cindy Duran | 34.4% | 3,022 |
| Total Votes | 8,777 | |
Elections for the office of Michigan House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on August 7, 2012 and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature-filing deadline for major party candidates wishing to run in this election was May 15, 2012. The deadline for independent candidates was July 19, 2012. The deadline for write-in candidates was July 27, 2012. Incumbent Al Pscholka (R) defeated Jim Hahn (D) and Carl G. Oehling (UST) in the general election. Pscholka was unopposed in the Republican primary. Hahn defeated Mary E. Brown in the Democratic primary.
Michigan House of Representatives, District 79, General Election, 2012
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Al Pscholka Incumbent |
52.8% | 21,490 | |
| Democratic | Jim Hahn | 45.7% | 18,630 | |
| Independent | Carl G. Oehling | 1.5% | 613 | |
| Total Votes | 40,733 | |||
Michigan House of Representatives, District 79 Democratic Primary, 2012
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Jim Hahn |
55.2% | 1,420 |
| Mary Brown | 44.8% | 1,153 |
| Total Votes | 2,573 | |
From 2002 to 2016, candidates for Michigan House of Representatives District 79 raised a total of $966,197. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $38,648 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.
Campaign contributions, Michigan House of Representatives District 79
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $129,307 | 6 | $21,551 |
| 2014 | $202,752 | 4 | $50,688 |
| 2012 | $106,780 | 2 | $53,390 |
| 2010 | $68,552 | 4 | $17,138 |
| 2008 | $101,230 | 2 | $50,615 |
| 2006 | $93,819 | 1 | $93,819 |
| 2004 | $161,197 | 2 | $80,599 |
| 2002 | $75,698 | 3 | $25,233 |
| 2000 | $26,862 | 1 | $26,862 |
| Total | $966,197 | 25 | $38,648 |
